Out of Ordinary Matters

Occasionally and with no apparent reason, some children love to start dressing up. We as a “culture” have no problem with girls dressing as princesses, ballerinas, or moms- boys dressing as construction guys, firemen, or space heroes. This all seems to shift somewhat when little boys love, and want to wear, what I call the “other than” little boy standard attire. I’ve had several such little imaginative dudes and have found their unique choices to be delightful- every piece of clothing having been put on with attention to detail and precise decision making processes. This degree of appreciation is not always shared by some of the other children, and this is where we, as adults, have the opportunity to widen a few horizons. Helping children understand that we are all completely unique individuals (with our own likes, dislikes, dreams, visions, aspirations), will ultimately, I think, encourage them to see and appreciate not only themselves as a “one-of-a-kind” precious being …..but also see the “other” in the same light.

Recently, someone came to the school and gifted a wonderful book on the topic entitled: Roland Humphrey is Wearing WHAT? http://rolandhumphrey.com/ By Eileen Kiernan-Johnson. The subject matter has to do with, of course, a little boy who takes delight in the fantastic. It follows his journey from being rejected and saddened by his friends to ultimately being accepted and even celebrated for his choices. I take delight in sharing this with you in the hope that you will, in turn, share it with your children.